W. Musavir:
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was sworn as new president of Kazkahstan on March 20 during a joint session of the chambers of the Kazakh Parliament following the surprise resignation of Kazakhstan’s founding and only previous President Nursultan Nazarbayev on March 19.
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only man to lead the country since it emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. In a televised address, he said the decision was “not easy” but he wanted to help “a new generation of leaders”.
Tokayev, who had been serving as the Senate Speaker, dedicated his first speech as President to the achievements Kazakhstan has made since independence under Nazarbayev’s leadership. Tokayev praised Nazarbayev for his decision, which was “dictated by considerations of a highest order, true concern for the future of our state.”
According to the President, against all odds that Kazakhstan faced in its early years of sovereignty, geopolitical challenges and negative outlook, Nazarbayev succeeded in building a globally recognized state and implementing reforms in all spheres of societal development.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan legislature passed a law at a high end meeting of its houses on Wednesday to change the name of its capital City Astana to Nursultan, in honour of the country’s first president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
In accordance with Paragraph 1 of Article 91 of the Constitution, a bill on amending Kazakhstan’s Constitution has been submitted. This draft law is aimed at changing the name of the capital city from Astana to Nursultan. The country’s Constitutional Council presented its opinion in accordance with Paragraph 2 of Article 91 of the Constitution.
Members of the lower and upper houses of Kazakhstan’s parliament unanimously voted for the proposed amendments, having considered them in the first and the second, final reading. The law is thus considered to be approved by the parliament across the board, after which it will be submitted to the president for signing.
The change was announced after Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was sworn in as president, promising to seek his predecessor’s opinion on key decisions. As a step towards recognising Nazarbayev’s name, Tokayev proposed to rename the capital city from Astana to Nursultan; erect a monument to the First President in Astana and rename the central streets in all the cities of the country after Nazarbayev. He has been also awarded a status of Honourable Senator of the Parliament and received at the end of the ceremony, the highest merits of the nation Halyk Kaharmany (Hero of the Nation) and Yenbek Eri (Hero of Labour).
Nazarbayev, 78, served nearly 30 years as leader of the oil-rich nation. Meanwhile, his eldest daughter has been elected speaker of the upper house of parliament.
Nazarbayev, who is head of the governing party, will remain at the helm of the influential Security Council and will hold the formal title “Leader of the Nation”.
Astana, which means “capital” in Kazakh, became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997, taking over from Almaty, still the country’s commercial hub and largest population centre.
“As a long-time ally of Nursultan Nazarbayev, I can say that he devoted his life to a noble service for the well-being of our people,” said Tokayev.
Tokayev defined the First President’s place in history: “He is already there as an outstanding reformer; he has managed to transform Kazakhstan into a modern, advanced state among the 50 most competitive countries in the world. His economic and political reforms became a symbol of wise government policy.”
Overall, the new President thoroughly narrated the historic decisions and greatest outcomes of Nazarbayev’s presidency over the last 30 years, including those aimed at enhancing regional and global security, peacemaking and mutual confidence.
Therefore, the President called on the people of Kazakhstan for cementing the political legacy of Elbasy (Kazakh for Leader of the Nation) and giving him the honour he rightfully deserves. Such a measure would help society, and particularly the youth, to be able to justly evaluate Nazarbayev’s work, he said.
In addition to political powers the First President will be vested with, Tokayev announced that “Elbasy’s word will have a priority in the strategic decision-making in the country.”
“Thus, we perform the transfer of power in a calm, non-conflict situation, which is a powerful factor in ensuring domestic stability and strengthening the international prestige of Kazakhstan,” said the President.
He thanked Nazarbayev for entrusting him with the important role in challenging times of world development.
Author is editor with Media Hub Int’l Dubai.